The quest for Eathon
by Thunderman88
Summary: Years ago, Lok's father disappeared. Now, Lok and his friends are determined to find out what happened to him, with the help of the last Seeker Eathon worked with. Meanwhile, evil stirs again and danger lies everywhere. Please review!
1. Prologue

I don't own any characters of Huntik, apart from the one I created.

**Prologue**

_Near Sharpsburg, Maryland, fourteen year ago_

"Surround the place! If they escape, I'll have you punished in a way you'll never forget!"

The voice with a thick German-accent had an incredible effect on the men dressed in black tunics and with solar glasses. Everyone gulped, then they ran to take their places around an isolated house, near the river. No sound was heard : just the indifferent sound of the running water.

The man who gave that imperious order stepped forward. He wasn't very tall, but his pale face, in which two yellow eyes glowed threateningly, was enough to frighten everyone. His pointed moustache and goatee trembled when he grinned evilly. His gloved right hand slipped in the pocket of his brown tunic, grasping something.

He stopped when he was clearly visible from the house filled with darkness, then he spoke up. "You're surrounded and outnumbered. Even as skilled as you are, you cannot win this battle. Do the right thing, and surrender... now!" There was no response, but was heard a low sound of stifled laughter. The pale man looked irritated. "All right, then you have decided your fate. Dark..." But just then, the door slammed open, and before anything could react, a voice roared : "Raypulse!!" A beam of orange energy hit the man right in the chest and knocked him out for some instants. Two men jolted from the door and ran for the woods, and when two of the men surrounding the building tried to stop them, one said : "Boltflare!" and hit him with a ball of energy that sent him flying, and the other exclaimed : "Augerfrost!" and got rid of the other with a blue beam of energy. Then, they disappeared between the trees. But before that, one of the two shouted : "Frank and Eathon, one; Rassimov and Suits, zero!"

Rassimov, alias the pale man, stood up and hissed angrily. The Suits glared fearfully at him, for they had failed to block their enemies as ordered, but he decided that punishment could be dealt later; now, they had work to do. "You, follow them and try to delay them! You two, get airborne and locate them. I shall wait here for report!" Answering with a quick "Yes, sir!", four Suits ran on the trail of Frank and Eathon, while the other two extended metal wings from their backpack and activated the mini-rockets, taking off.

Rassimov remained alone near the empty house, and rubbed lightly his chest, mumbling : "He has hit me harder than last time. They are getting stronger as time passes; we have to deal with them now, or they shall become too powerful for us to overwhelm. His headphone suddenly spoke up : "Sir, they are heading south-south-west, following the river, at nearly one mile and a half from your position!" "Are they? They don't want to lose the cover... Very well, then I know where to stop them!" And with that, he rose in all his stature and shouted : "Darktransfer!" With that, he disappeared in a surge of dark energy.

He reappeared at once onto a hill near the position of Frank and Eathon as said by the Suit. He looked down, and he saw after some moments one of them climbing the hill. He arrived at the top, stopped briefly to catch his breath, then he looked up, and spotted Rassimov. He sneered, and stood defiantly. In the moonlight, it was possible to see that he was a very tall man, with a short beard. He looked at Rassimov and commented : "I have to acknowledge that, you never give up!" The other one, a slim man with a huge backpack and with blonde moustache, arrived and stopped when he saw their opponent. The first one quietly said : "Eathon, you take care of the Suits, you should be able to match them." Eathon looked worried, and objected : "But I can't leave you fighting alone against..." "Go! I can handle Rassimov. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!" Frank interrupted him. Eathon still looked doubtful, but went down the hill to confront the Suits.

Rassimov and Frank looked at each other in silence. Then, Rassimov pulled out his right hand, in which he held two amulets, and said : "I don't have any time to waste with you, Frank Norton. **Kopesh**!" The amulet shined, and a dog-faced humanoid creature with a curved blade on his head appeared out of nowhere. "**Thornment**!" This time, it was a grim-looking mummy with vines all over his body to appear. Frank simply shook his head, looking amused. "I hoped you would use some better Titans, but I guess I'll have to be content with them. So, here we go! **Goldram**!" he shouted, lifting in his hand an amulet. A huge ram with horns that appeared as made of gold and with a curly golden fleece appeared before him. Then he lifted his other hand and shouted again : "**Hrungnir**!" Another Titan appeared, a huge and tall humanoid creature with grey skin and that wore just a leather loincloth.

The four Titans eyed each other for a moment, then clashed in a terrible silence. Kopesh charged at Goldram, while Thornment started to envelop Hrungnir in his vines. Rassimov, not knowing anything about his enemy's Titans, pulled out his Teknonomicon and asked about the Titans's features. The answer was : "Goldram, Attack 5, Defence 4, Krono-Titan Mythological Animal, Size : Average, Special Power : Irresistible Charge. Hrungnir, Attack 7, Defence 5, Litho-Titan Giant, Size : Colossal, Special Power : Rock Control."

The battle raged, but it became clear that Frank's Titans were gaining the upper hand. Kopesh had to stay on the defensive and was busy dodging Goldram's furious charges, while Thornment's vines weren't capable of holding Hrungnir, which only became angrier. Looking at this, Rassimov aimed at Goldram and shouted : "Hopeshatter!" But the dark energy spell was blocked when Frank interposed between Rassimov and his Titan and shouted : "Armourbrand!" Then he stood up and said, pointing his finger defiantly : "Let our Titans fight fair and square. If you want to fight... then, I'm all yours!" Rassimov grinned evilly, and replied : "Oh, it shall be a pleasure for me!" And in no time, both Seekers were deep into a slug session.

The Titans were still fighting fiercely; but then, Frank's Titans reclaimed their victory. Goldram managed to catch Kopesh off-guard and struck him dead center, defeating him for good. Hrungnir managed to get momentarily free from the vines that obstacled him and grasped Thornment, using his force to rip him in two pieces that collapsed back into his amulet. Rassimov gasped when he felt the shock from his defeated Titans, and Frank took advantage of it by throwing a mighty punch on his face roaring : "Dragonfist!!" Rassimov went flying and landed painfully on his back. Goldram was immediately on him; but he wasn't defeated yet. He lifted his hand and hissed : "Darkwave!" Caught by such a powerful spell at point-blank range, Goldram collapsed back into his amulet. Hrungnir came near to Rassimov and was about to crush him with his huge arms, but Frank said : "Stop, Hrungnir!" The Titan stopped in his tracks, and Rassimov laughed briefly. "Do you play the noble one? Do you want to defeat me with your bare hands? You shall pay for this mistake! Raypulse!" "Hyperstride!" said Frank, and leping with immense strenght and speed he dodged the spell, while falling on him with his legs extended. Rassimov quickly invoked : "Stormshield!", and a shield blocked Frank's blow.

"No more jokes! If I can't defeat you, I shall destroy you! Darkv... AGH!!" With that, Rassimov fell to the ground, unconscious. Behind him there was Eathon, his arm extended. Frank grumbled : "I had everything under control!" "Maybe. But we don't have time for the hero part. We have to go, now!" "Oo-kay. What about the Suits?" Eathon smirked. "They were so tired that they went to sleep, and I kind of helped them!" "Of course. You are totally psycho, man. I like it!" Frank laughed.

The two disappeared into the night, leaving behind some Suits in bad shape and a very frustrated Rassimov.


	2. Chapter 1

I repeat I don't own anything in here, apart from my character and his Titans.

**Chapter 1**

_Venice, Italy, now_

"Penny for your thoughts, Lok!"

Lok Lambert snapped out of his thoughts and looked up to see his mentor, Dante Vale, looking at him questioningly. "Oh, nothing, I was just thinking about my father. I do it quite often lately." Dante nodded and sat down besides him. "What the Professor said, in the final battle," Lok went on, "keeps tormenting me, I just keep thinking about it." Dante said, slowly : "I understand, Lok. But you have to keep in mind that the Professor probably wasn't telling the truth, perhaps he was just trying to unnerve you, so you would have fought without thinking and he would have had an advantage." "Maybe. But what if he wasn't lying?" retorted Lok. Dante sighed, but was saved from answering when Sophie came and said : "Hey guys, could you come here for a moment, please? Metz wants to talk to you!" They got up and followed the girl inside the house.

Metz was indeed there, alongisde with Zhalia and Cherit. Dante smiled at the sight of his mentor looking well and on his feet; he had been so worried about his conditions in the precedent months, and that was indeed a relieving sight. "Ah, Lok. How are you?" the Foundation's leader asked. Lok shrugged nonchalantly. "Fine, I think. Although the end of all the fighting unfortunately leaves me more time to think." Metz nodded understandingly. "I realize you hoped that looking for the Amulet of Will you would find your father, and I'm sorry that you didn't find him. But that's what I wanted to speak you about. When Eathon disappeared, the Huntik Foundation looked everywhere for him, with no success. But there is a man, an American Seeker, who was close friends with your father. He worked with Eathon in the years prior to his disappearance, and if someone knows something that could give you some traces, it's him." Dante looked up, amazed. "Are you talking about..." "Yes, Dante, it's Norton." "Who is this Norton?" asked Zhalia, frowning. Dante said : "Frank Norton. He's a Foundation Seeker, but he is a sort of... lone wolf. He was always ready to aid in case of emergency, but the only one with whom he often worked was Lok's father. He is one of the most powerful Seeker of the Foundation, and he knows lots of interesting things." "Then, what are we waiting for? If he knows something about my father, then I want to talk to him at once!" urged Lok. Dante lifted an amused eyebrow, sensing his protegé's hurry. "Calm down, Lok. Of course you have to have a talk with him, but not alone. I'm coming, if you don't care!" "Of course he doesn't. And he doesn't care if I come along, right?" Sophie said, coming close to Lok and looking at him square in the eyes. He smiled and shook his head saying he didn't care at all. Zhalia stood up from the char she was seated and said : "You don't think I'm letting you go without me, do you?" "I guess this settles it. America, here we come!" cheered Cherit.

_Troy, New York, the day after_

"He sure doesn't look like one who craves for companionship!" commented Lok. They had arrived at Norton's house; it was an isolated mansion outside the city, with a large garden surrounded by tall trees, so visitors could not arrive without being spotted.

Dante chuckled : "I told you, he's a lone wolf. Eathon was the only one he banded with. Furthermore, he loves to study all sort of things, from the military history of the American Civil War to the secret spells of the Casterwill Family. And given that he's very rich, he can do such things all the day!"

They went to the front door. Dante knocked on the door, and it opened slowly. The house's interiors were dark, and from the darkness, a voice whispered : "Boltflare!" A small ball of energy bolted towards Dante's chest; Dante managed to dodge it, and Sophie, who was playing the part of the secondary target, quickly shouted : "Honorguard!" and blocked the attack. Then, laughter came, and with it a tall man in his forties, with brown hair and beard and sparkling blue eyes. He was rocking with laughter. "Looks who's here : Dante «Tenderfoot» Vale! You'll never learn to be careful : if I had wanted to, I could have blasted you all the way to Philadelphia!" he boomed, crushing his friend in a bear hug. Dante retorted, snickering : "If I had wanted to, I could have passed from another way." Norton shook his head : "Try it, and I'll have to recover you with a spoon!" And started to laugh again. Dante shook his head with bemused disapproval, then he turned to present his companions, who had assisted to the exchange with mixed reactions; Lok was trying to hide his laughter; Sophie was slightly amused by the way the older man was treating Dante; Zhalia was frowning.

"Frank, these are my friends. Zhalia Moon..." Frank was quick to snatch Zhalia's left hand and to place a light kiss on it, in a mocking chivalrous way. "Charmed!" he said with exaggerated courtesy, at which Zhalia snickered. "Sophie Casterwill..." Frank's eyebrows took off, and he half-seriously half-jokingly bowed deeply, saying in a reverent tone : "Oh, hello, Your Holy Highness, Lady of the..." "Oh, stop it!" curtailed Sophie, uncertain if she felt more irritated or more amused. "And this is Lok Lambert, Eathon's son!" ended Dante. Another time, Frank's eyebrows went up, but he wasn't pretending this time. "Yes... he looks very much like him. So, the time has come, huh? Very well. Come, come, make your home!" he invited them into the house.

He guided them into a vast room, with the walls covered with bookshelves, with a roaring fire into the fireplace and some sofas. He had them sat up, then he went to collect some hot chocolate. Soon they were all sipping heatily their own chocolarte mug. Frank looked like lost in his thoughts.

Lok was the first to speak up. "You said that the time has come. Why did you?" Frank sighed and looked to him. "Because I knew you would come, sooner or later. I was pretty sure you would become a Seeker like your father; besides, I'm possibly the last Foundation operative to have seen him, so I knew I had to expect a visit from you." "You could have come to visit me instead. And this reminds me... why didn't you come to Europe to aid us in the fight against the Organization? I looked at the Foundation's database, and you're one of the three operatives labeled as 'AA', the others being Metz and my father. That means you're at least as powerful as my father. Your aid would have been useful!" Lok accused. Sophie looked concerned. "Lok..." she said, but she was interrupted by Frank, which seemed not to be bothered very much by the boy's anger. "Of course. Because you think that the Organization just worked in Europe. Maybe you don't know it, boy, but the Organization had agents everywhere, even here in America, although they weren't as powerful as they were in Europe. You're right, I am one of the strongest Seekers in the world, probably, but that doesn't mean I could get rid off of the Organization here and then rush to help you. I had to deal with the Professor's second-in-command, a tough guy named Rassimov, for several months, and I had to use everything I've got to frustrate his plans. Besides, from what I've heard, you managed to spank the evil guys even without me, so don't make too much a fuss about it!"

Dante said quietly : "He is right, Lok. Frank managed to obstacle the Organization here in America. If he hadn't do it, it would have been much more difficult to defeat it. So, Rassimov was here sometimes ago?" Frank nodded. "Yeah. Now I understand he was ordered to stop trying to waste time with me and return to Europe when your team started to become really dangerous." Lok was looking ashamed. "Sorry, it's just that..." "Oh, don't worry. You're exactly like your father. When something doesn't sound right to you, you charge as a maddened bull. Not a mortal sin, however." replied Frank, waving his hand to dismiss it.

A silence ensued. Then Frank spoke up : "Listen, would you please tell me what happened to you? First of all, I'm curious to know how did you get rid of the Organization. Secondly, I have to know what you discovered about Eathon until now." Dante nodded. "Sure. All started when..."

"So... the Professor is gone, the Organization is crumbling, and you have become one of the top Seekers of the Foundation. Not bad for a sixteen-year old boy." Frank said when Dante finished telling him what happened. He looked impressed. "I thought your father was the best, but you have probably surpassed him." "Well, I had very helping friends..." answered Lok, embarassed. "Don't underestimate yourself! If Dante is right, when all this started you could barely summon Freelancer, and then, you were able to summon once a Legendary Titan. That's awesome!" Frank scoffed him sternly. Lok smiled thankfully, because Sophie, hearing a very experienced Seeker praising him, was looking at him with something powerful in her eyes. Dante interrupted the praising round. "Lok is here to know something about Eathon. The Professor said something about him, but he was vague, and we don't know if he was telling the truth or not." Frank sighed. "So you went there, hoping I would know were Eathon is. Sorry, but since sometimes before Eathon's disappearance, maybe three or four weeks before, I haven't heard anything about him." Everyone looked disappointed, especially Lok, who sighed and looked down. "But... I know what he was looking for, and where he was short before he disappeared. We worked togheter for years before that, so I know his modus operandi... You, Lok, are able to reason like him. If we unite those things, maybe we can succeed where my efforts and that of the Foundation failed. What do you say?" added Frank.

That was a rethoric question. "We'll find him, even if we should have to search for years!!" shouted Lok, springing to his feet. Dante grinned. "That's the spirit, Lok. But I think it could be dangerous. Maybe Sophie and Zhalia should..." "We are coming with you, and that's not questionable!!" declared Sohpie forcefully, and Zhalia nodded her approval. "No matter what's the danger, you should do anything for him, huh? Then, it's settled!" said Frank philosophycally, taking some other chocolate.


	3. Chapter 2

I forgot to say that the story is set the summer after everything happened, so no problem with the school and stuff like that. Enjoy!

I don't own any character besides mine and some Titans, sadly…

**Chapter 2 : Memories**

"Well, we'll go on mission tomorrow, so you can take some rest. If I'm not mistaken, we'll face some serious problems very soon!" said Frank. "Good idea. Meanwhile, you could tell me something… about my dad!" said Lok, leaning on the sofa. "That would be great. I must admit I'm curious, too!" said Sophie. Frank shrugged. "Why not? We'll pass some time. I'll tell you what I know about him, since the day I knew him…"

_Twenty years before…_

"_So you're the famous Frank Norton! Glad to meet you!" said Metz, extending his hand. Frank shook it and sat down on the chair. "I'm glad to meet the chief of the Foundation, too. And by the way, whatever Fenton said about me it's false!" Metz laughed. "You don't like your chief, do you?" Frank pouted. "He's a damn idiot! Sure, he has quite a talent with Titans, but with his ways he's not gonna get anywhere! Always playing safe, always avoiding risk… what the hell had you in mind when you appointed him chief of the American Seekers?" "Well, he was the best. I say was, because even he admitted that you're better than him." Frank smiled proudly, then frowned. "If you think you can put me in a damn office to sign papers all day…" he warned, but Metz interrupted him : "Calm down! I know you're fit for the field work. That's why I chose you to go with our best agent for a delicate mission." Frank snickered. "What a honour! And who's the 'best agent' I'm stuck with?" Metz pressed a button, and the door opened, allowing a slim man to enter. Frank got up and looked at the newcomer : he was slim, sure, but his expression revealed intelligence… and courage. He immediately felt he could get along well with him; he smiled, and the man smiled back. "Can I present you Eathon Lambert? Eathon, this is our best American Seeker, Frank Norton…"_

Now

"That was the beginning. We made it through the mission with flying colours. And then, before we even thought about it, we went togheter in all the missions that we received. We were a great couple; Eathon was the mind, always able to found the solution for an ancient riddle, or to decypher an old code. I was the muscles : not that he wasn't a hell of a good Seeker, but since the very beginning he admitted I was stronger than him in hand-to-hand combat, and I had some quite strong Titans." "Hey, my dad had some tough Titans, too!" protested Lok. Frank nodded and added : "Of course, but having good battle Titans, and by the way I have more than he ever had, it's not enough. You must also be able to conceive the right strategy for them, to be sure they fight at 100% efficiency. And we both knew that in this I was smarter than Eathon." "Oh, well…" Lok mumbled, but Frank went on, half seriously half with a mocking tone. "We did almost everything togheter! I even had to help him when he had to propose to Sandra, and guess who was at Eathon's marriage?"

He stopped, and then resumed, speaking in a more serious way. "But then, we started to be caught in the greatest quest of all times. Eathon had always been fascinated by the ancient Amulet of Will, but he started to concentrate on this when his friend Metz was caught by that curse. He started writing down all his notes and impressions in his diary. I supported him full cause, of course; he was my best friend, almost a brother. But I was more cautious than him…"

_Fifthteen years before…_

_Frank was staring at the rain that poured on the window. The winter night was chilly and rainy. He turned to look at his best friend, absorbed into writing in his diary. He sighed. "C'mon, Eathon, there's no need for you to write everything at once. Give your diary a rest, and maybe give yourself a little rest. You always work so much…" "Frank, we are trying to find out where that blasted Amulet is kept, we are not trying to plan some travel in Grinzburg! Even if we keep working as we have been lately, we could find the solution only in years… many years, maybe!" Frank sighed again. "I'm not saying you to stop working on it, man! I'm just saying you that you don't have to kill yourself with overwork! As you said, the place where the Amulet is kept is a secret that can be discovered only with years of work. Before us, great and powerful Seekers spent their whole lives trying to get traces about it, getting nowhere. This is no thing that can be solved by studying a book, or climbing a mountain; we have to get the right things at the right moment!" Eathon looked up, and huffed. "You're right, Frank. But we can't give up. We have to keep searching, because if we don't…" Frank placed his hand on his shoulder. "Don't even say it; I know about Metz's conditions too, and I care about him, too. But sometimes, I just wonder if we can make it. This is the greates challenge a Seeker can met!" Eathon looked down at his diary, and absentmindedly flipped his pages. "I wonder about it too." Then he looked in the eyes of his friend, and a fire was burning in his eyes. "But we have to try!"_

Now

"When Eathon wanted a thing, there was no one that could stop him. But unfortunately I was right; our searches took years, because we had to follow any traces that promised something, although we knew that most of them were dead ends. And also because the Organization started to hunt us down. When we met the Suits for the first time, they were ridicously easy to beat, but the next encounters were more difficult. The Professor started to throw at us his best Agents, like Rassimov, and we had some trouble to make sure they would remain empty-handed." "Why didn't you asked for help? The Foundation could have helped you, I guess!" asked Zhalia. Frank smirked. "We wanted to keep our discoveries secret, because we feared there were some double agents in the Foundation. Besides, apart from Metz, that was confined in a bed for years, we were the best Seekers of all, modesty to hell; we didn't need much help!" "And I thought that Lok was the macho one!" mumbled Sophie. Lok looked offended, and Frank laughed whole-heartedly. "He inherited this from his father. He was very proud and self-assured… and this," he said in a lowly tone, lowering his gaze, "nearly costed him his life, when we finally found what we were looking for…"

_Eleven years before…_

"_Hey, Eathon, look at this!" Frank exclaimed, holding a very ancient papyrus. Eathon came and took the papyrus from the hands of his friend. "It's from the Ancient Library of Alexandria. It says something about… an ancient land that perished in a great tragedy, and disappeared from the world!" "Atlantis!" Frank said, impressed. Eathon went on reading the scroll, then he gasped, and let the scroll fall on the floor. "Eathon, what's the…" "_'The jewel that was of the First and the Greatest is kept there, and can be attained only by passing through the Sea and the Gates'_!" Frank's face became as white as a sheet. "Wait a minute… could this mean… that the Amulet is in Atlantis.. and the entrance for it is…" "Is the Temple of Poseidon? Yes, it has to be! We made it! We discovered where the Amulet is kept!" Eathon was so happy that he got up and started an improvised victory dance, soon joined by his friend. When their happines started to cool down, Frank was overexcited. "Ok, we can be at the Temple in two days, then it's just about going to Atlantis and get the…" Eathon interrupted him : "No, wait! I'm going, you must remain here!" Frank's jaw dropped. "What?"! "It's for safety reasons! The Organization is hunting us and we can't move without them noticing us. So, the chance to slip them unnoticed is zero point zero. They can track the both of us, or at least Rassimov can, but just one of us could make to the very place unnoticed. And, if I fail… there shall remain one of us, still knowing the secret!" "But... you're right about the Organization, but you haven't considered one thing. If I'm not mistaken, here says 'There lies the jewel, his sleep protected'! That means that even if you make through the Suits, there is something there that you cannot defeat alone! And I'm not saying it to boast! I would fail too, but maybe togheter we can make it!" Eathon avoided his gaze. "I thought about it… but the risk is too great. I'm going… and you're staying here. Don't worry, Frank. I'll do my best!" Eathon tried to smile, but he couldn't._

_Three weeks after_

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! "Who the hell is knocking at the door at this blasted hou…" Frank's complaint was cutted short when he opened the door, and a bloodied and weak Eathon fell in his arms. "Ohmygosh! Eathon!" Frank lifted him into his arms, closing the door with a kick, and rushed to the sofa. He gently deposed him onto it, and went to collect some alcohol and bandages to tend to his wounded friend. When he was back, Eathon had regained coscience, and was trying to get up. "Stay down! You're quite in a bad shape!" Frank pushed him gently down and then started to clean his wounds, mumbling some healing spells when he sensed some major injury. Eathon stood down, not speaking, but when Frank finished, he abruptly said in an apologizing tone : "You were right!" Frank tried to change subject : "This is not the right time for this…" "No. You were right. I make it through to Atlantis, but I was unable to pass the test Casterwill put there to protect the Amulet. And when I went back, I was lucky to get here alive." Frank felt very sorry for his friend, frustrated in the mission of his life, and tried to console him : "C'mon, friend, no need to chastise yourself with that. Besides, there's no guarantee that togheter we could have make it. But we are gonna find out : when you're back in shape, we'll head to Atlantis another time and…" Eathon looked at him with sad eyes. "No. The Organization was unable to follow me to the Temple, and then they don't know where the entrance is. But if we return, they're going to find out; they have half of their Suits up there, it's impossible to avoid them. We had just one chance… and for my fault, we spent it for nothing!" Frank tried to say something to contradict Eathon, to tell him that he was wrong… but he was unable to. And so he just stood there, looking at his broken friend, a man that now should have had to live with the greatest failure he could ever have done._

Now

Silence.

Lok was unable to speak : he was glancing at his closed and trembling fists, while Sophie and Cherit were stunned by the news, and Zhalia herself was so shocked by them that she forgot to sit in her usual careless manner. Dante was frozen; he could have never imagined such a thing. They had figured some of it when they discovered that Eathon didn't make the test in Atlantis, but not that Eathon had taken it so bad.

Frank slowly spoke again, looking very sad. "Eathon never forgot himself. I tried to tell him, and your story confirms that, that even if I had come along, probably we could not have done it. Nothing. He was… enraged with himself for not being able to get the thing he had followed for such a long time, and that was the key for his friend's healing. After that, he was never the same!" "What do you mean?" asked Lok in a stern tone. "He became… more desperate. He had spent so much time looking for the Amulet that his failure depressed him very much." Dante inquired : "Then why didn't you say something to us? The Foundation could have helped!" Frank sighed and looked sadly at him. "We couldn't. The Organization understood we had critical informations, and decided to isolate us, with whatever means possible. We couldn't call for help, we couldn't even escape. To try to fool them, we made some missions to find other secrets and hidden amulets here in America, but it didn't work. The Professor himself helped forming the net around us. Until…"

_Nine years before…_

"_You're what?" Eathon didn't even look up to him, busy preparing his backpack. "I'm going out. I'm sick and tired to wait for them to break the defensive spell and catch us!" Frank gripped him on his arm. "You're out of your mind! We only have to resist some time more, I'm sure that at Venice they had find out something's wrong and are preparing a relief mission. We just have to…" "You can't fool me, Frank, as much as you can't fool yourself. Even if they had figured it out, what help can be of use against the Professor himself? Not counting Rassimov!" Frank huffed in frustration and threw his fist at the wall. "So, what's the brilliant plan? Running for your life until they corner you?" Eathon weakly smiled. "Kind of. I'm sure I can make a good distance before they catch me. And besides, this will force them to divide their forces. The Professor will follow me, I'm sure of it, so that leaves Rassimov to you. But I know you'll be fine!" "I wish I could say so for you!" said Frank, quietly. The two friends looked at each other, then they threw themselves in each other's arms. "You don't have to do it, Eathon…" "I do. This thing has to end, and I have to end it. I can do at least this. Please take care of yourself, old friend!" Frank looked at him while he opened a window and prepared to jump into the garden. He had teary eyes, and his voice was broken. "I'll do it. But I promise you… I'll come after you, no matter what!" Eathon smiled, his eyes with unshedded tears, too. "I know you shall. Goodbye!" And he jumped, disappearing quickly into the night. Frank didn't move for a very long time…_

Now

"His plan worked. The Professor runned behind him like a bat flying from hell, and Rassimov stayed here. I was able to fend off their attack until the Foundation came to help, and they retreated. He managed to avoid the Professor and his cronies for some time. He phoned me one last time, from a off-hand location on the Amazon River, in South America, telling me he was alright and where he was planning to go. And this is all!"

Lok immediately spoke up. "So, you know where he went. Why didn't you find him?" "We looked there, and everywhere, but our research got nowhere. An ancient Titan was nearby, and his power hid his traces and made us walking in circle and stuff like that. We looked for a whole two months, then we had to call of the research." "But if the Foundation already failed, what can we do?" asked Sophie uncertainly. Frank looked at her and shouted forcefully, standing up : "We can find him, that's what we can do! I'm sure that no power can match three veteran Foundation Seekers, the heir of the Casterwills and the son of Eathon Lambert, whose power defeated the Organization! With our combined forces and minds, we can find Eathon, and we are definitely gonna do that!" Everyone laughed in relief at the mock outburst. Dante said in a ending tone : "Then, so be it!" Frank nodded, then declared : "Ok, enough memories and bold declarations before the peril, it's bedtime! I want to have you and your Titans at top shape!" Everyone got up, and went to their bedrooms that Frank had assigned before.

Before drifting to sleep, Lok mumbled : "Hang on, dad, I'm coming!"

So, here is another chapter. Sorry if it's long, but I couldn't find the right place to cut it in two, so I just kept it intact. Besides, it's my fanfiction, so I can do whatever I want. Please review!


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 : Findings**

"Did I say I hate this blasted rainforest?" Another series of snickers by Frank were triggered by the latest explosion of an increasingly irritated and frustrated Zhalia. "Oh, just about a zillion times!" said Lok, trying to hide his smirk. "It's just because I **totally** hate this blasted rainforest!" "Don't worry, we're nearly there!" Frank said still snickering. "I thought that after three days of hiking through this, you would have become a true amazon, Zhalia!" said Cherit playfully. His reward was a murderous glare, but any comment was cut short by Sophie's excited cry : "There we are!"

Soon, they exited to a huge rock that stood beside a very tall waterfall. "At last, here we are! Here we lost any track of Lok's power signature, and so we had to search blindly around. But this time, we're going to do something different. Ready, Sophie, Lok?" The teenagers nodded; they had followed his advice, and in the previous days they had practiced using their magical powers together; in this way, Frank hoped, Lok's relation with Eathon and Sophie's mastery of magic could point at least the direction in which Eathon had disappeared.

Lok squeezed in his right hand Sophie's left one, and with a last encouraging look, they began. They both closed their eyes, as a purple aura formed around them. Sophie lifted her other arm, and moved it around. After a minute, she stopped the movement and opened her eyes. "It's that way! I'm sure of it!" Everyone went considerably happier at the announcement. "The last to arrive has to pay the beer!" Frank announced while gripping on his backpack and striding downwards in the pinpointed direction.

They strode forwards for about an hour, but then Frank, who had started to look around worriedly, stopped abruptly. He visibly gulped and murmured : "I don't get it. I've met countless defensive spells that can confound one's mind, but I never felt anything like this one! My lucidity is almost gone, and I feel more tired and dizzier than ever before. Can you feel it, guys?" As he spoke, he turned around, to see with much horror, that Lok was barely able to stand, clinging desperately to a tree, while Dante was trying to get an unconscious Zhalia up to her feet; Sophie was slowly collapsing on her knees, and Cherit wasn't looking any better. "Oh, damn. If we succumb to this, we're screwed." He bit his lip, then he proclaimed in desperation : "Omenshield!"

The spell had an immediate effect, and everyone regained at once their strenght and lucidity, although a lingering effect was still present. Frank however fell on his knee, breathing heavily. "Hey! What's the matter?" Dante said hurriedly. "I managed to fire a spell that should protect us... but this curse it's quite strong, I'm barely managing to keep it at bay!" Frank panted, sweat rolling down his forehead. "What do we do? We can't wuit and go back, but we can't go on!" said Sophie, anxiety building up in her voice. Lok answered in a low voice : "Well, I think the best option is staying... and batling him."

Everyone looked at what he was looking, and saw a huge, green creature that looked like a mixture of a snake and a lizard; but the critical detail were the multi-colored feathers that crowned his head. Dante's Holotome quickly identified it : "Quetzalcoatl. Attack 5. Defense 4. Meso-Titan Mythological Animal. Size: Huge. Special Power : Hypnotic aura." "Damn, this is bad! We get out our Titans, he's gonna charm them defenseless and smash them!" Lok cursed. Frank nodded. "You're quite right, Lok, but if I remember right your girlfriend here has an Albion amulet, and that Titan is impossible to be controlled, as does my Hrungnir. We start with them, then as this badboy is occupied with 'em, we summon more Titans and we help them with some spellwork, but be careful not to use up all your energy! I've got a feeling we might need some soon!" "Yes, it's a good plan. Seekers, let's dance!" Dante approved, and Frank gritted his teeth and roared : "**Come forth, Hrungnir**!" "**Fight for victory, Albion**!" was Sophie's answer.

The two titans charged the mighty enemy, and luckily Frank was right, his power didn't work on them. As soon as he got into defensive mode, it was Lok's turn to shout : "**I summon you, Freelancer, Lindorm**!" "**Take him on, Solwing, Ignatius**!" Dante ordered, and Zhalia finished by declaring : "**It's your turn, Kilthane, Gareon**!" The newly summoned Titans ran to support Hrungnir and Albion, and soon Quetzalcoatl was surrounded by them. He was very dangerous, however, and soon dispatched with some swift tail blow Freelancer and Ignatius. Dante, Lok and Zhalia added their spells to their Titan's attack, while Sophie stood by Frank, whose effort to shield them from his power and to summon Hrungnir had rendered him vulnerable, even if Cherit had given him his signature power-up.

It took a long time, an absurd quantity of spells, and Albion, Kilthane and Solwing defeated to subdue the lizard Titan; but with a last, mighty roar, the huge beast disappeared, to switch places with its amulet. Lok fell on his knees while wiping off sweat from his forehead. "Whew, that was a though one!" he panted, and Frank wholeheartily agreed. "Yeah. No wonder the Toltec emperor who managed to bond with him had such a large and powerful empire. Such a Titan would be enough to subdue countless armies!" "Wow!" said Zhalia with sarcasm dripping off her voice (she had been hit twice by Quetzalcoatl's huge tail and was still fuming), "so what are we going to do with this amulet?" Dante shrugged : "We will send it to the Foundation's headquarters, and then it will be their problem!" "Hah! I like your approach, Mr. Vale!" exclaimed Frank, now recuperating. He kneeled and carefully took the amulet with a special gauntlet that they knew was used to grab amulets you don't want to bond with, finally putting it in a pocket.

"And now that the road is clear, we ought to rest for a while, then resume our march, because I can feel that our search is coming to a close, in a way or another!" "Oh, yes, I like the sound of that, I'm quite exhausted!" Sophie moaned, as she crumpled under a tree. Frank paced around, mumbling : "You know, it's quite frustrating when you've got a knack for this 'feelings', when you realize something is about to happen, but you don't know what or whe..."

That was the exact moment in which the ground under him collapsed and he disappeared without a scream, and without completing his phrase. Everyone rushed, screaming : "FRANK!" They heard a quick : "Featherdrop!", then just heavy breathing. "Frank! Are you alright?" Dante asked worriedly. A quite irritated voice answered : "Yes, I'm alright, but next time I would like a little warning, and..." His protest ended abruptly, and after a second his voice came, suddenly serious : "Guys... you better get all the stuff and get here at once." The four looked at each other, then Cherit said : "Coming!", and he disappeared in the dark opening. Puzzled, the others retrieved their backpacks and followed him, landing with magical grace.

They were in an enormous cave; light went in by the hole Frank had accidentally stepped over; the black water of a lake creeped over the place, and it was very cold and wet. They shivered.

"What's the matter? What did you see?" said Zhalia, more and more puzzled. Frank, a few feet far, merely pointed, his face expressionless, to a human figure laid on a altar-shaped rock. The dim light revealed a tremendously hollow face, a wild hair that coupled with a haggard beard, his clothing was torn to pieces and worn out; there were faint traces of what looked like dried blood. But under all that, what they could see took out all the air in their lungs.

Because that figure was still identifiable as the one and only long-lost Seeker of the Huntik Foundation, Eathon Lambert.

* * *

Here we go, another chapter! Sorry for the delay, I've got quite a lousy year, so forgive me!


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 : Struggling**

_Somewhere deep into Amazonas State, Brazil, South America_

It was as if they had been struck by a binding spell; no one moved a muscle, no one even breathed. No sound interrupted the utter shock of that moment.

"I'll be damned!" The harsh tone of Frank's voice shook them out of their surprise, as he ran towards the rock and carefully placed his hands above the man, who was apparently deeply sleeping. "Showtruth!" he murmured, and a yellow aura encircled the man's head. Nothing else happened.

"What was that for?" Lok asked; he realized he was whispering. It was as if he'd been worried it was an illusion, shattered by just an higher voice tone. "A spell to reveal and take care of any illusion placed by someone. I had to check him out." He looked up, and his face was almost glowing for the happiness. "It's him. It's Eathon!" The boy let go the breath he didn't realize he was holding, then he felt a hand patting him on his shoulder. Dante was smiling at him. "This is an important moment for you, Lok!" "Indeed!" exclaimed Sophie, grabbing his hand; she was almost in tears.

"Well, that's true, whoppy-do and all that, but that's a moot point if we don't get him on his feet and we drag him out of this place." said Zhalia, coming closer to the legendary Seeker, but the others could see she was struggling to hide a smile. "Is he asleep or what?" Cherit asked, looking worriedly at the thin figure. The veteran Seeker shook his head and explained : "It appears he's comatose; if I get it right, he used a little trick we discovered in an ancient Native American pueblo, deciphering some pictograms; if you're wounded and far from support and relief, you allow yourself to fall into a healing coma, and you wound up picked up from those who look around for you, or you wake up healed and walk away on your own. And I know just the thing to kiss him awake!" His right hand went over Eathon's chest, and it glowed white as he said : "Powergrant!"

To everyone's relief the figure moved a little, it grunted, then a pair of eyes fluttered open. A raspy voice came from behind the beard's curtain : "Simon...?" Frank scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Nine years disappearing from the world; then we find you and the first thing you do is insult me!" Although his voice sounded irritated, his beard trembled. Eathon turned to face him, and his face lightened up. "Frank? FRANK?" He sat up and gripped his hand, a large smile visible behind his facial hair. After a few seconds of looking him into the eyes, the elder Lambert said in an uncertain voice : "Frank... my God, what happened? You look... older!" "Nice to see ya, too!" answered Frank, the grimace on his face now genuine. He cleared his throat, and then he shifted sideways, exclaiming : "Now, don't worry about that. Just say hi to your son Lok, here!"

Another moment of extreme shock, as father and son looked at each other. "Lok...?" Eathon's whisper sounded almost like a prayer. The younger Lambert, as awkward as ever in this kind of situation, merely shrugged and heard himself say : "Nice to see you again, dad!" The next moment, they were hugging each other. Frank nodded approvingly and looked at the others; he was far from surprised at seeing Sophie fighting back tears, and Cherit having quite a satisfied expression, but he was quite interested in seeing how close Dante and Zhalia were, while looking intently at the scene with happy expressions, their hands almost touching. He raised an eyebrow, but before he could ask anything, Eathon sighed and broke the hug, letting his eyes wander over his boy's figure. "Seeing you again... grown up... a Seeker... is a reward I'm not sure I deserve, son!" "Aw, c'mon, dad. Look, these are my mentor, Dante..." "Dante Vale! Of course, I should've recognized you at once!" exclaimed the ragged Seeker, nodding in recognition. "...and my best friends, Cherit, Zhalia Moon, and Sophie Casterwill!" The two girl smiled and waved a bit awkwardly at him; after all, he was a legend; the Titan however grinned and told him casually : "Nice to meet you again!". "Casterwill? Is that...?" Eathon began, his brow furrowing, but Norton cut him out, by saying impatiently : "Very well, presentations are over, and question can wait, so we can get practical once again, gents. How about thinking about going the hell out of here? This place is not safe!"

"You are right. But how do we do it? We can't jump that high, and I doubt Lok's got enough strength to summon Kipperin right now!" Dante meditated, caressing his chin with his fingers. The American shook his head. "No need to. All we need is blasting an exit out of this cave. I think... Yes," he said, pointing to the left, "we fire a few Touchrams at that wall, and boom, exit's ready. That wall must be just a few inches deep." "Okay, then. Do you think you can move, dad?" Lok asked his father, helping him on his feet. "Yes, don't worry. I just need some clean air and some food, and I'll be as good as new!" "Make that a good shave, man, and I'll agree with ya!" Frank said sarcastically, while surveying the wall. "Alright, there's the thinnest point; on my mark... three... two... one... TOUCHRAM!" Four spells blasted the wall, and another, much welcome, current of fresh air entered the cave. "You know, right now, I can understand why ancient peoples actually adored the Sun!" Zhalia commented, looking up at the sky. "Couldn't agree more, Zhalia!" Frank said, stretching a bit and looking on while Lok helped his father out of the cave. His expression went distant, as if lost in a remembrance. "Yeah, couldn't agree more!" he repeated in a murmur.

_Norton Mansion, Troy, Pennsylvania, United States_

"Oo-kay, here we are, home sweet home!" Frank cried dramatically. Looking at his best friend, he said seriously : "Now all we have to do is having some nice meals, and you'll start looking human. You're thinner than a promise!" Eathon merely rolled his eyes. "You need new jokes; this one is at least twenty years old!" "It does the job, however. C'mon, move, move, Eathon's not the only one who needs to stuff his mouth with food!"

Mood was very high as they approached Frank's house. At Frank's strong suggesting, they had avoided to talk about everything that happened after Eathon disappeared, it was a thing to face when rested and properly fed. All they had done in the return trip was relishing in their success, making jokes and stuff. The elder Lambert looked much better now, clean shaven, except his trademark moustache, although he was still very weak.

But relaxation lasted until Frank took out his keys to open the door. His ever-active senses then picked up something, and he turned abruptly, roaring : "HEADS UP!" Not a moment too early; several Augerfrosts pierced the air, but slammed into his Armorbrand. "Sophie, protect Eathon! No matter what!" "O-okay, but who...?" she trailed off, as at least twenty men emerged from the nearby woods. Leading them was someone they could hardly recognize. "DeFoe?" Dante said, disbelievingly. The failed Organization team leader smirked; he'd never seemed very smart, but now he looked crazier than ever; his eyes sparkled with a mad light, his clothes were dirty and messy. "Surprised, Vale? I promised I would destroy you, no matter what the cost!" "This is crazy! The Organization is no more; we don't have to fight anymore!" Dante replied grimly. "I don't care about them! They abandoned me when you humiliated me; and for that, you'll be humiliated too... before I kill you!" Frank quipped in : "Someone you know? Oh wait, I frankly don't care. Just bring it on, mister!" And the tall Seeker charged at the group, followed by Dante, Zhalia, Lok and Cherit. The madman said laughing maniacally : "**Destroy them, Bonelasher! Jokoul!**" His minions followed suit, but their Titans were nothing spectacular; Enforcer, Sekhmet and Redcap were the norm, with a few possessing Ammit Heart-Eater and Impet. "This is gonna be boring!" Frank commented derisively, and thundered : "**Time to play, Sentinel! Goldram!**" "**Come out, Caliban! Ariel!**" Dante ordered. "**Freelancer! Lindorm!**" called Lok. "**Give them a lesson, Kilthane! Ghar-ghoul!**" Zhalia exclaimed.

The Battle Royale soon flared out of any control; but as the Foundation Seekers plus Cherit got the upper hand very soon, Dante, who had been targeted by DeFoe, had soon to admit that his enemy was far more dangerous than before. His attacks were ruthless and relentless; he didn't care of exposing himself if it meant he would score a hit. He was so unprepared to such a change that he was forced to take up a defensive posture. "Where is your trademark irony, Dante Vale? I am getting the upper hand; I am proving to be the better Seeker!"

Eathon was leaning against the wall, a frustrated spectator. He saw, through Sophie's protective Honorguard, the direness of Dante's situation, and his face went hard. As he took out an amulet from his pocket, he mumbled worriedly : "I pray I have enough strength to do this. **Go, Cavalier!**" The flying knight with two flaming swords duly appeared, and with lethal grace impaled both of DeFoe's Titans. In shock for the sudden change, the evil Seeker wavered, and Dante wasted no time in taking advantage; a mean Dragonfist at the mouth sent DeFoe flying. "Thanks for the save, Eathon!" Dante cried with a grin, to which he was able to answer only with a weak nod, breathing heavily and clutching his chest.

Meanwhile, the other members of the team had already taken care of most of remaining enemies. As Sentinel blocked the last three's attacks, Frank and Lok yelled : "Hyperstride!" to jump above it and take the three of them out with two simultaneous old-style front kicks. "If this was what you call an ambush, I've faced worse ambushes when I was ten years old, returning from school!" the latter said victoriously. The madman laughed, and showed yet another amulet. "This was just the beginning; now that you are tired, I will finally crush you, forever! **Dominator!**" As the large beast with spiked maces for hands made its appearance, Frank exclaimed, surprised : "What? Where the devil did he find that Titan?" "Who cares? DUCK!" The American quickly followed Lok's advice, as the mighty Titan nearly smashed his face. Goldram tried to give him a taste of his horns, but Dominator surprisingly managed to dodge, and with a swift blow hit it with his spikes, and the Titan began to have convulsions. "No! Damn it, he's out of control!" Dante cursed, knowing too well Dominator's specialty. "Quite a nice way to bellow the obvious, my friend! Why don't you give it a rest and try to take out this Titan before he refurbishes our pretty faces?" Norton yelled, using Hyperstride again to avoid another blow. Lok wasted no time in taking out his other amulets. "All you had to do is ask. **Fight for me, Baselaird, Dendras!**" The golden warrior and the puppeteer barreled on DeFoe's Titan like a ravine; each of them would have been difficult to defeat, but together Baselaird and Dendras were a match for almost any enemy. It was over in three phases : Baselaird received Dominator's spikes on his shield, Dendras's puppet dragons roasted and froze him at the same time, and then Baselaird's sword impaled their adversary, defeating him for good.

DeFoe was struck speechless. "What? No!" "Face it, DeFoe; you got us by surprise with that Titan, but after facing Rassimov and the Professor this is just ordinary business. You're going down, man!" "Couldn't say better myself!" Frank said suavely, cracking his fingers with a murderous grin on his face, taking a step towards him.

But DeFoe, after looking at them with a bewildered expression, did something they didn't quite expect; like a wounded beast, trapped by its hunters, he charged... but not towards them. Towards Sophie. She most certainly didn't see that coming; all she had done had been blocking some random attacks coming their way, protecting Lok's father; and she had just let the spell dissipate. So, surprise was on DeFoe's side; and he took advantage of it.

The Foundation Seekers all sprang to block him; but they were not quick enough. But as DeFoe began to mouth the word 'Poisonfang', a figure intervened. It was Eathon, who had desperately rallied all of his force in a Dragonfist, surging forward to intercept him: before the villain could even register that, the blow had already connected with his belly, knocking him out cold. All that Frank could do was immediately grab his best friend, to keep him from crumbling down. "Whoa!" was all he could say. Sophie looked at her savior with big eyes, and mouthed an awkward "Thank you!". "Anytime!" was the hoarse answer.

"Ok, enough macho men for now! Dante, take Eathon to a bedroom and make him catch his breath, while I secure those idiots for the Foundation. They already did enough this time!" the American ordered, and everybody noticed how his face was scrunched up in a dissatisfied way. They obeyed him, and as they sustained him past the foyer towards the stairs, Eathon commented : "He really was worried sick about me, if such a little thing gets him so annoyed!" Lok shrugged and said : "We all were, dad. But I must admit nobody would have expected such a thing from you, not in your weakened state!" For a moment, pride showed up in the elder Lambert's eyes, then he sighed, lowering his head : "Now that I think about it, we should tell Sandra and your sister, and Metz too, that I was found. Your mother is _so_ going to kill me..."

A relieved chuckle was all he got for an answer.

* * *

If any of you is wondering why I made the gang find Lok's father this early, I'll confess it was always my intention to do so; I wanted plenty of time to explore Eathon's character, so I couldn't let him to remain AWOL till the end.

This means that now that the quest to find him is now succesful, now it begins another one : since his old mission was accomplished by the Huntik team in the show, he has to find wheter there are still challenges for him... of course, helped by his family and friend! This will be the next objective for the group, help the elder Lambert find a new purpose. This way, the title's meaning is far from being resolved!

Please review, and thanks to those who already did!


	6. Chapter 5

Should I say I'm sorry for the delay?

**Chapter 5 : Rediscovering**

_Norton Mansion, Troy, Pennsylvania, USA_

"Here. How do you feel, now, dad?" Eathon eagerly stuffed his mouth with sausages and bacon, and let out something that could be an encrypted 'much better'. Sophie, sprawled on a chair, muttered : "Now I get from which parent Lok gets his manners!" The elder Lambert nearly choked on his meal, trying to stifle his laughter. "I'm not that bad, Sophie!" Lok protested, frowning. "On that, I have to agree with Lok. After all, this is his first regular meal from years!" Dante pointed out, failing to hide his huge grin.

Before Eathon could think of something else, the door opened. Frank leaned against the door frame, and in a dangerous casual voice announced : "There's someone here who would like to meet ya, Eathon. Here they are!" He sidestepped, and the figure of his wife, Sandra, appeared. He gulped loudly, shifting in the sheets, and heard himself mutter the stupidest thing he could have said. "How are you, honey?"

Two steps later, Sandra began to apparently use her husband's chest as a drum, improvising a fast melody. Between blows, she hissed furiously : "You... complete... _asshole!_... Eathon... Lambert!" Unable and unwilling to defend himself, after a few seconds he struggled to whisper : "Yeah... missed you, too!" Sandra stopped her beating, looked down at him with fire in her eyes, then hugged him hard, breaking down crying. Frank snorted. "If I didn't know that for them it's just foreplay, I would've said that thing was the damnest thing I ever saw!"

It was the last thing he could say, because a mean straight got him in the solar plexus, and his lungs exhaled all the air they had got. "You couldn't stop him for disappearing all this years, all you could do was standing there and approve, eh, you fat-headed, two-timing bonehead?" Frank had to fight hard to keep standing. Luckily, Sandra's wrath seemed to vanish as they heard a sharp : "Dad!", as Cathy ran over to Eathon. "Cathy! My God, look at you, you're beautiful! I didn't dare hope you would turn out as good as you are... guess you got all the pretty genes, uh?" Before Lok could metabolize, laughter exploded everywhere, even from his mother's side.

Eathon's face turned flabbergasted as he looked at the man standing by the door, smiling. "Metz... then it's true!" "I'm afraid it is. I'm completely healed, old friend!" He grasped his best friend's hand, who reciprocated it with surprised joy. Metz went on : "I owe it to your son and his friends... without them, I'd be done for. But Lok has demonstrated what he can do!"

Eathon's head collapsed back on the pillow, all the energy drained from him. "This must be some kind of a miracle. But perhaps, it's because everything back then was so desperate..." Cathy took advantage of this, and dutifully raising a finger asked : "Yeah, by the way, could someone explain this to me? Mom told me just the basics, but that's all, and I would like to know something more about what happened to you, and about this 'Seeker' stuff!" Frank nodded and sat down on a chair, beginning : "Well, it's a long story..."

After he had finished telling his story, it was Lok's turn to explain how he had become a Seeker and how the Organization had been defeated. Then, Lok said : "The only missing piece of the puzzle is what happened to Dad when the Professor was hunting him..." All the heads went in Eathon's direction, who sighed. "It's not something pleasant, you must have understood it by now, but you have a right to know. When I left this house, nine years ago, I didn't have a destination in mind; all that mattered was keeping as far away from the Organization as possible; the first months, I managed to lose my pursuers in Mexico. That's when I sent home the Aztec vase where you, Lok, found my diary and Kipperin's amulet; I didn't want it to fall in their hands, diary apart. Then, they sniffed my trail again, and I had to move again; it was the beginning of a nightmarish voyage, that took me right in the middle of the Amazonas forest. Then, I was cornered on a rock standing near a waterfall..."

_Eight years before_

_As the burly man in the white suit approached him, Eathon's heart sank. Behind the bulk, behind the balding head, behind the self-assured smirk, he still could make out the features of his old mentor. The man who had taught him about Titans, and magic, and lore. The man with whom he had a deeper relationship than with his parents. _

_"Well, Eathon, aren't you going to say hello to an old friend?" The voice was deeper, but what shocked him most was the complacency he could feel... the complacency of the hunter whose prey is now trapped beyond any hope. His reply was steel-cold. "I don't see any friend here... only someone whose curiosity and eagerness led him onto a dark path!" Mock hurt appeared on the Professor's face. "What dark path? I only learned the ultimate lesson; which is, there is no good and evil after all. There's only power... and those unworthy or unable to understand it!" A smile formed under Eathons' mustaches. "That was not what you taught me... Simon." "Neither you are the same boy whose only concern was finding old and mysterious things, not caring from anything else!" the Professor replied, unfazed. "Or the man who cared so much for his friend that he spent a year of his life in the hospital." He added, with a strange expression twisting his face. Eathon felt a pang of nostalgia in his chest, stronger than he expected; it fed his delusion and his rage, and he took out Dendras' amulet. The agents' reactions were stopped by an imperious gesture of Simon. "You left this to me when you left... and now I give it back. I don't want to think I might be in debt with you!" The amulet disdainfully fell before the Professor's feet; for a moment, he was stunned, then his expression went hard. "Is this your final word?" And he didn't mean the amulet only. His former pupil shrugged and said matter-of-factly : "You bet!" _

_For long seconds only the waterfall's voice was heard. Then, Simon lifted his right hand, the hand with Araknos' ring, and bellowed : "Then, I'm sorry for this, old friend!" The ring glowed, but Eathon didn't wait for it to go off and suck all the secrets in his head. He was completely lucid, he had no doubt of what to do next; he abruptly turned around, his backpack with the Holotome slipping from his shoulders, and jumped. Simon could only stare, his mouth hanging open, as the figure of Eathon went smaller and smaller, to finally disappear in the foam. His eyes stared fixedly at the bottom of the waterfall for some minutes, then went on the amulet lying on the rock. For a moment, sadness was clearly etched on his features; then, he forced the feeling away, and with a Bubblelift he took the familiar amulet and the Holotome he knew all too well. He walked slowly away, never turning around again._

_Now_

"Then that's why the Professor had Dendras' amulet and your Holotome in his castle!" Lok exclaimed. Eathon merely nodded; Frank went up and in a mock solemn tone proclaimed : "Ladies and Gentlemen, please give your rewards to the suicidest Seeker of the Huntik Foundation, Eathon Lambert!" Some chuckles were heard, including Eathon's, who commented : "You can stop it right there, Frank. I know that in my place you would have done the same thing!" Grimacing, Frank scratched his head, but before he could say something sharp, Cathy spoke up again.

"I'm sorry, but now can I ask something else?" "Sure. What do you want to know?" her father said. Cathy bit her lip, a usual gesture for her when nervous, then she blurted out : "Are you sure I didn't inherit the Seeker's genes or whatever thing that you, mom and Lok have?" The question was met by blank looks, but Frank nodded approvingly and said : "A damned good question, dear. A question that has only one possible answer; here, catch!" And he threw at her something he had taken from a drawer when Lok was speaking, and with which he had toyed throughout Eathon's tale.

She automatically caught it in mid-air, but before she could do more than staring at the silvery jewel with a green stone, a blue aura surrounded her, and everyone in the room shivered, as if they had sensed an arcane energy forming up. Frank was elated, and sported a huge grin. "That's your answer, my dear Cathy : as your father, mother and brother, you're a Seeker! Congratulations!" He took her hand and started shaking it, visibly happy, while she was still stunned. Eathon smiled broadly, and said : "Well, it's not that being a Seeker is a bed of roses, but I'm happy for you. And I could have not chosen someone better for one of my best Titans!" "This Titan... was yours?" his daughter asked. Frank said : "Yes; it's Jirwolf, a spectral wolf with great powers. Eathon left it here before leaving; I was to give it to you if he didn't show up in ten years, because he suspected you could have inherited his abilities!" "What? You knew Cathy could be a Seeker? Then why did you asked me and mom to keep silent around her?" Lok said somewhat irritated.

That observation was met with thoughtful looks, and this time it was Metz who sighed and bowed his head. "It was my decision, and Frank and Sandra agreed. Since your personality was more like your father's we guessed you would almost certainly turn out to be a Seeker, which was proven correct; she, however, was a more uncertain possibility. And if she was, then..." The American interrupted him by adding : "We wanted her to be our reserve. The Organization can be quite sexist, and we knew that if they went searching for Eathon's kids then they would focus on you, Lok; therefore, Cathy was more protected if she was unaware of this. And if something happened to you, well, we hoped her potential would be as great as yours. It's cynic, but we were fighting a war, and such thoughts become your bread and butter!"

For a moment, the American's eyes resisted the force in Lok's, then the young boy huffed and sat down, crossing his arms. Cathy was quite annoyed, too, but she was still curious. "Well, okay... and now, what?" Her father looked at her, and told : "Now, you'll have to receive some training, because now that your powers have awakened you are going to be a target, even with the Organization gone. And even before I went away, I had already made clear that for at least one of you, I would have liked Frank to be your teacher." Frank grinned, and turned to the girl, saying : "However, it's up to you; your father asked me to train your, but if you'd like another, I'm not gonna be offended." Cathy quickly said : "What? Oh, no, I'd be delighted to, er, train with you, if mom is ok with that..." Sandra came over to her, and hugged her while saying : "I knew this could happen; and with all his shortcomings, Frank is one of the persons I trust most. I would choose no one else to teach you to master your powers!" "It's settled, then. It appears your mansion will be quite crowded for a while!" Metz said cheerfully. Frank swatted him lightly on his arm, and snickered : "You're just jealous, because you know this is going to be fun!"

* * *

This was my intention from the beginning, to have Cathy discover she is too a Seeker, and formally join the team, since the team for a while is going to hang around Pennsylvania. It's not just because this way I have someone unexperienced to make fun of, it's because something greater...


	7. Chapter 6

I'm becoming quite tired of saying I'm sorry I'm such a lousy writer. So, I'm just saying to the true believers, don't worry, and have faith!

**Chapter 6 : Teaching**

The next day, while everyone gathered for the ritual of breakfast, Frank noticed something beneath all the glorious mood that was engulfing them; sure, a great Seeker and husband and father had been found, a young girl had discovered the ultimate secret about herself. Yet, even Cathy's open nervousness and slight confusion didn't distract him to notice a tinge of wonder, at least from the Huntik team plus his old friend.

"Ok, let's just get it over with. The question most of you have in mind is, now what?" he casually said, while carefully watching over his famous pancakes. The temperature of the kitchen fell about ten degrees in a pico-second.

"Ladies and gentleman, 'Blunt-tongued' Norton for ya!" grumbled the elder Lambert, caressing his moustache as he did when he was nervous or irritated. Frank grinned openly as he masterfully shoved a pile of pancakes before him, wailing : "Ooh, your tone hurt me so much I'll retire and go to Oregon to be a lumberjack!" "Not helping!" was Sandra's answer.

Lok spoke up matter of factly : "Ok, but his question is right. Now that Dad is here with us... well, what can we plan? The objectives we had since their days are all done : the Legendary Titans, the Amulet... What else is left?" His sincerity had the effect of wiping the half-smile his father wore besides himself. Zhalia herself bit her lip and, tapping her fingers on the table, confirmed : "Lok's right. We need something to do. And, with all respect, I doubt that Cathy's training will do!"

Dante slowly nodded; he looked up at the American seeker and asked : "Frank? What was your idea?" Everyone looked up at him; it was evident that he wouldn't have brought up the matter without having a solution ready.

He didn't disappoint; folding his arms on his chest, he seriously pronounced a single word : "Rassimov." Cathy had heard the name the day before, but had missed the effect it had on the others; pretty much everyone cringed, even Sandra. Her father muttered : "Yeah. I'm afraid that his actions during the showdown demonstrate he had a plan of his own... and with the Organization in complete disarray and the Huntik Foundation still unable to capitalize on it to strengthen its hold on the new generation of Seekers, I'd bet everything on the fact he's recruiting like hell right now!"

For a moment, even the gentle rays of the sun that peered through the window seemed feebler. Frank quickly jumped in, to exclaim : "That's right. But worrying about it won't do us any good : Metz is not a fool, he realized this as much as we did, and they'll keep a tight watch on any suspicious activity in the Old World. We'll just have to do the same in the New one!"

His confidence and his determination managed to get some smiles. "Alright, Mister Big Boss!" Eathon approved, looking greedily at the pancakes. "May I inquire what are our next moves?" The tall American smiled dangerously as he answered : "First, we get some weight and health in you again, and we get Cathy to know some spells and stuff; then, there is plenty of Titans to get around here, I've kept my mind busy with those. As soon as you are back in shape and Cathy gets the hang of it, we're off. Just like old times!" His smile changed to one of nostalgia, as he forked down the poor pancakes; he repeated, his eyes lost in the past : "Just like old times!"

"Hmmm. Very good; Sandra kept you athletic enough, you're at a good level already!" Frank approved, caressing his bearded chin. Cathy shrugged, while regaining her breath. "We Lamberts are no slowpokes; we pride ourselves in our physical fitness!" Her mock proud tone caused a strangled sound from Sophie, which was immediately silenced by Lok's glare.

The America grinned again, and said : "Ok, time to step up!" He reached for the table, and grabbed a book. "As it's explained in here," he began, not really looking down at the pages, "both the summoning of a Titan and the utilization of spells draw power from your reserves; the amount of those reserves depend on your innate potential in the broad sense, but you are limited by your experience. Right now, you would just be able to throw one or two spells and summon your Titan, but that's it. And even when you'll have some fights and more training under your belt, always remember that you have to manage carefully the powers you have, as well as the Titans; your life could depend on it. Got it?"

The girl nodded, listening with great attention. "Very good. Most spells you learn by studying on these," he patted the cover of the book, "but the most simple ones are easy enough you can grab them just by observing them. And this reminds me I think I got cut while running in the bushes!" He looked down at his feet, and yes, some scratches had reddened his skin and let some blood out. "Watch carefully!" Frank said, kneeling down; he put his hands on his ankle and pronounced clearly : "Everfight!" An orange aura immediately caused the scratches and the blood to disappear. "This is useful if you have a physical match to fight in, but for more serious injuries it can drain your energies pretty badly. Try it!" The daughter of his best friend nodded again and lifted her left arm : she had some cuts on her elbow. Taking a deep breath and concentrating, she remained silent for some seconds. Then... "Everfight!" she ordered; the spell worked perfectly, healing without leaving any scar.

"Nicely done!" Eathon said from his seat, beaming. He had protested against such a precaution, but Frank and Sandra had been inflexible; he was still in convalescence. Sophie didn't let go of the opportunity, and snickered : "Yes, this is the way to do it! Lok didn't manage it on the first try!" The poor boy sighed, moaning : "Why are you so mean to me lately?" Zhalia smirked : "Not bad for a rookie!"

"As they said!" Cathy's mentor said in an approving manner. "Now, Titans. As long as you have the energy, you can summon any Titan you want, but there are two ways in which it can return into it : by your choice, when it is no longer needed, or by enemy. In the latter case, it will take some time for you to be able to summon it again; right now, after summoning Jirwolf, you'd have to wait at least three or four hours. In time, you'll reach your father, who could summon it thirty minutes after its defeat. But let's take that one step at a time; would you call it out to play?"

Cathy obliged, and took out the only amulet in her possession; acting on instinct alone, she yelled : " **Answer me, Jirwolf!**" With the usual coreography, the astral wolf appeared in all his glory, sparkling like the starriest night on some mountain. It remained near Cathy, looking up at her inquiringly. "He's asking me what do I want!" she exclaimed, amazed. "Right. The Bond is the only way to communicate with your Titan, and luckily only Cherit there was able to learn how to speak!" The snickering it caused easily overcame the small dragon's indignant "Hey!"; and privately, they couldn't help but somewhat agree : sometimes Cherit could be too much talkative for their liking.

Cathy knelt down and hesitatingly put her hand on the blueish mane of her Titan; his answer was a pleasant purr. The eldest Lambert kid smiled. "He's very cute!" Her teacher and her father carefully avoided each other's gaze; they would explode with laughter otherwise. Frank coughed once and continued, in a somewhat embarassed tone : "He's not only, er, _cute_, he's also a fella with some interesting tricks! It's impossible to deceive and to confuse him, his sixth sense prevents that, and he is specialized in freezing the enemy with his cosmic aura, allowing other Titans to easily finish them off. And he can also take quite some damage; but of course, he's better off if not used as a purely fighting Titan!"

"Ok, I get it. Means that for the first missions I'm not staying in the front lines?" Cathy asked rhetorically, still petting the approving Jirwolf. Lok, who had stepped from the wall he was leaning on, said in a disgusted tone : "God, is, another minute and you'll start putting some ribbons on the poor guy. Why do you have to be such a girl?" That was his mistake : his sister stood up at once, and, her eyes blazing, ordered : "Get him!" The astral wolf obeyed at the speed of thought : running towards the dumbfounded Lok, he jumped at the last moment; the net result was that Lok gasped, completely blocked by the aura. As everyone else laughed, Frank cocked an eyebrow, and Cathy looked at her brother thoughtfully. "Hm, I see what you meant. Pretty clever power, huh, Jirwolf?" From the struggling figure, came a ragged : "Please... enough..." and Frank said : "Ok, fun is over. Boltflare!" The spell dispersed the aura, and the youngest Lambert was freed. Trying to regain his bearings, he snapped : "That wasn't cool, Cathy!" She pouted. "Awww, poor Lok met his equal; someone tougher than him?" The blonde boy growled, and roared : "I'll show you tough!" And tackled her.

While Lok's growls and Cathy's shrieks filled the air, Frank turned towards the rest of the gang. Zhalia and Sandra were observing the scene coolly, with detachment; Sophie was laughing her ass off, and soon sprang towards the siblings to join in the fun; Cherit was unsure whether to worry or to enjoy the show. Dante was trying to hide his smirk. And Eathon?

Eathon was peacefully sipping his tea, not even bothering to look at his children. Frank glared, and then declared : "She's just reacting to the news; we'll still get a level-headed Seeker... I hope!" Without looking up, his Irish friend quipped : "Yes. Let's bear with them!" "A bear would run for his life right now, I'm afraid!" Frank said, incapable of resisting the urge.

Their laughter joined those caused by the end of the fraternal struggle; all was well!


End file.
